Google announces new Gemini backed safety features in India to protect users from online fraud

Google has announced a number of AI-powered features in India to protect users from online scams. At the AI Impact Summit 2026, the tech giant rolled out several new tools which it says will protect users from scams while ensuring that “AI works harder for the defender than for the attacker.”

“Our devices are the centre of our digital lives, and so it’s crucial to implement robust protections right into the products and services we use daily,” the tech giant said in a blogpost.

Google’s new security features in India:

1) Real-time scam detection

Google is rolling out Scam Detection on Pixel phones powered by its Gemini Nano model. The company says its AI will analyse calls in real time and flag potential scams while running entirely on-device without recording audio or saving transcripts.

However, the feature is opt-in, meaning it is off by default and users will have to turn it on in the settings of the dialler app. The company also noted that it will only apply to calls coming from unknown numbers, and there will be a beep during the call to notify both the receiver and the caller.

2) Financial apps protection

Google has partnered with Google Pay, Navi and PayTM to tackle screen-sharing scams. The company says it will show a “prominent alert” on devices running Android 11+ when users open one of these apps while screen-sharing on a call with an unknown contact.

The feature will also provide users with a one-tap option to end the call and stop screen-sharing in order to protect them from potential fraud.

3) Systemic protection

Google has introduced a new Android-based security protocol called Enhanced Phone Number Verification (ePNV), which replaces SMS OTP flows with a secure, consented SIM-based check that the company says raises the floor for sign-in security.

4) SynthID

Google said it is providing early access to the SynthID Detector and API to help identify synthetically generated content. SynthID is Google’s proprietary watermarking technology which helps users find out whether content has any trace of being generated by the company’s AI tools.

Users can currently request early access to SynthID by filling out a Google form, but there is no clarity yet on the wider rollout.